OPINION: Urban renewal means sacrifices in other areas

Considering the slick campaigning the City is doing with their urban renewal push mailers (that they would say are simply “informative”), let’s please remember that for just every $10 taken by Wilsonville’s urban renewal tax means that the following DO NOT get their rightful share of our tax dollars …

Schools $3.70

City (includes police) $1.20

Fire protection $1.10

Clackamas County $1.20

… and so many more including the library, 4H, ESDs and even Vector control.

Please vote NO on this new urban renewal plan that would be a gift of ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS for a private corporate owner.

Sure urban renewal is not a new tax, it is the thievery of all future taxes that are owed to all the other taxing districts in this city.

The city has already collected and spent over TWO HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS meant for all of our precious taxing districts.

If you think about it, why are school districts not “directly affected”?

It’s because the state supplants the loses that each school district incurs.

That said, the state is responsible for the costs of education in Oregon.

So when the state of Oregon replaces over $3 million of West Linn-Wilsonville’s loss to Wilsonville’s urban renewal schemes, where does that money come from?

Enough is enough!

John Ludlow

Wilsonville